Intrigue and Mystery
by Ayla Pascal
Summary: Snape finds himself intrigued by a red-haired woman. He's startled to find out that the woman is none other than Ron Weasley.


Author Notes: Thank you to aigooism for the beta!

Warning: Temporary gender!swap.

* * *

There was something odd about the woman.

Snape had spent years honing his senses as a spy, and right now, every single one of those senses was tingling. In fact, other parts of him were tingling as well, but Snape chose to ignore that signal. He hadn't been attracted to women since Lily. He wasn't about to start now.

Snape frowned. Actually, now that he thought about it, the woman did look a little bit like Lily with her long, tangled, red hair. But she had none of Lily's grace, style or natural charisma. Lily could charm the birds out of trees, and Snape suspected she'd probably be able to do it without the aid of magic as well. As Snape watched, the woman stumbled over her own feet and steadied herself by almost upsetting a bunch of herbs hanging by the shop window.

"Sorry!" she exclaimed as she hurried off.

Without meaning to, Snape found himself following her. She walked rather like she had never walked in heels before. Her gait was just a little too wide, which caused her to overbalance and stumble every few metres. There was something almost ridiculous in the way she kept on stopping to smooth down her skirt and hoisting her bag back onto her shoulder. The few witches he had seen wearing Muggle clothing tended to be used to it. They made it look easy. However, this woman made the idea of walking in a flowing skirt with heels look almost as difficult as brewing the Drought of Living Death.

He watched as she rounded a corner, her bag slipping off her shoulder yet again before landing with a plop in the middle of the street. Snape held his breath. Would she notice? He was almost glad when she kept on walking, oblivious.

Snape hurried to catch up to her. "Excuse me," Snape said smoothly. "You dropped this."

The woman looked at him and her eyes widened. "Give me that!" she said as she snatched her bag from Snape's fingers.

Snape stared. There was something akin to fear in the woman's eyes, but there was something else there as well. He frowned. It could have been embarrassment. "You dropped your bag," Snape pointed out. "I was merely being courteous and returning it."

The woman scowled. "You? Courteous?"

Snape studied her face. She reacted like one of his former students, but he could have sworn that he'd never seen her before. He would have remembered somebody with her height; he barely had to stoop at all to talk to her.

"You're staring at me," she said abruptly.

"Perhaps," Snape acknowledged with a small smirk.

The woman glared at him.

Snape felt rather miffed. He hadn't flirted in years, but that didn't mean he was this rusty. The woman didn't seem to be reacting at all, except perhaps in irritation. "It's generally considered polite to thank the person who rescued your bag from the ground."

"Why?" she demanded. "It wasn't as though it was going to get lost there. I would have realised if you hadn't picked it up..." Her tone was pointed.

Snape suppressed a sigh. He really was rusty, it seemed. "Very well," he said. "I shall leave you alone. If that is your wish?"

"That is my wish," she mocked.

A few steps took Snape around the corner again into the hustle and bustle of Diagon Alley. It had been a strange encounter, he mused. Up close, the woman was nothing like Lily. Lily had been polished – no, that made her sound like marble. She had been poised, elegant but still human and down-to-earth. That woman had been rough and brusque.

Snape shook his head. She was absolutely nothing like Lily. So why couldn't he stop thinking about her?

* * *

The next time Snape saw the woman, she was disappearing into the Forbidden Forest. Her robes billowed out behind her. His fingertips tingled with suspicion. He knew every adult at Hogwarts and most of the adults around Hogsmeade, but he'd never seen this woman before. Before he realised what he was doing, Snape found himself following her into the forest. It was for the sake of the children, he told himself. There was a possibility that the woman was dangerous. After all, she _was_ going into the Forbidden Forest.

As Snape walked into the shade of the forest, he shivered slightly. He was only just beyond the first line of trees and already it was much colder than outside. The woman in front of him didn't seem to notice though. She simply walked rapidly along the pathway, looking over her shoulder every few seconds. Cautiously, Snape followed her along the path, careful not to stay too close. As he watched, she vanished into a clearing.

Slowly, Snape crept forward and peered into the clearing. There was somebody there, their bright red hair illuminated by a bright shaft of light. As the person turned around, Snape gasped and stared. His mouth fell open as he saw Ron Weasley in the middle of the clearing.

"Weasley!"

Weasley jumped and leaned forward, peering into the trees. His freckled face paled. "Snape! What on earth are you doing here?"

Snape frowned. There was only one explanation for this turn of events. As ridiculous as it was, Ron Weasley must have been the woman he had followed. "Whatever possessed you to turn yourself into a woman?" he spat.

Weasley toed the ground but didn't answer.

Snape sighed. His curiosity as a Potions Master was getting the better of him. He decided to try a different approach. "What did you use?"

Weasley looked down. "A potion," he mumbled.

"Care to be more precise?" Snape asked acidly. He didn't enjoy being made a fool of and there was nothing more foolish than finding oneself attracted to a Weasley. Especially when one didn't know that they were a Weasley. With hindsight, the red hair should have been a dead giveaway.

Weasley lifted his head to glare at him. "I dunno what it is," he said. "I just got it in this package."

Snape raised an eyebrow. "What kind of potion was this? Do you always order random potions without knowing the ingredients? What if it was poisoned?"

Weasley shrugged. "But it worked. Besides, I do know some of the ingredients..."

Snape doubted that very much. "So you wanted to be a woman then? You're a wizard. You do realise there are easier ways."

"No!" Weasley exclaimed. "It's not that... I mean, it was just for fun at first, but I kinda liked how nobody knew me in that body."

Snape didn't think that Weasley's Quidditch career had been _that_ successful, but then again, he knew never to underestimate Quidditch fans. They had been known to charm flowers in order to listen into the private lives of Quidditch players. Ever since the incident with Amelia Grey and the spying rose, Quidditch teams had forbidden their members from taking gifts from their fans. It was rumoured that there were huge rooms somewhere in London piled high with gifts from Quidditch fans. It was going to take decades to sort through the mail. "I see."

Weasley frowned. "I'd have thought you'd understand."

Snape resisted the urge to further arch his eyebrow. Instead, he settled for a contemptuous look. "I have never felt the urge to dress as a woman, Mr Weasley."

Weasley coloured. "I didn't mean that," he said quickly. "I just meant that, surely, you of all people would understand what it's like to want to hide from people. I mean, people avoid you in the streets because of... y'know... Babies cry just by looking at you."

"I don't believe that is entirely accurate," Snape said dryly.

Weasley crossed his arms over his chest. Snape couldn't help noticing how tight his robes were now that he had changed back into a man. The buttons looked as though they were about to pop off any second. Snape blinked and looked away. There was no way he was attracted to a Weasley, especially one that was best friends with Harry Potter.

"Why did you follow me anyway?" Weasley burst out.

Snape pressed his lips together. He didn't know the answer to that question. In fact, he'd been asking himself that as well. "I don't believe I need to explain myself to you," he said icily.

Weasley's eyebrows shot up. "You don't believe you need to explain yourself?" he repeated incredulously. "You were stalking me."

"I was ensuring the safety of my students," Snape snapped. "There was a strange woman on the grounds. For all I knew, you were an escapee from St Mungo's, based upon your reaction to me returning your bag."

Weasley snorted. "Doesn't explain why you followed me in Diagon Alley." He took a couple of steps forward until he was standing right in front of Snape. "I don't believe that rot about my bag. The Snape I know wouldn't have cared if some strange woman dropped her bag."

Snape smirked, feeling slightly relieved. They were on familiar ground now. He'd had this conversation with plenty of his former students. Or at least he would have had this conversation plenty of times if any of them had talked to him. "You don't know me, Weasley," he said. "You were my student five years ago. That doesn't mean that you know anything about me as a person."

"I don't believe that either," Weasley said slowly as he ran his hand roughly through his hair.

Snape caught a faint whiff of honeyed blueberries. Lily had used something similar in her hair. It was an oddly feminine scent for the strong, wide-shouldered man standing in front of him, but it had been quite appropriate for the woman Weasley had pretended to be. "You may believe whatever you wish, Weasley," Snape told him. "All I wanted to do was ensure student safety."

Weasley laughed. "That'll be the day," he said. Oddly, there was no malice in his tone. "Look, you don't have to tell me why." He hesitated and bit his bottom lip. "Just... can you not tell anybody else?"

Snape found his eyes drawn to the small red mark on Weasley's bottom lip. "Are you asking me a favour?" he drawled. There was something strangely enticing about having Ron Weasley owe him something.

Weasley looked annoyed. "No, I'm just asking you as one human being to another. I'd appeal to your sense of decency, but obviously that doesn't exist."

Snape sighed. He could draw this out for Weasley, who was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, but then he'd have to stay here. Somehow, he found his eyes being continually drawn back to the small gap between the straining buttons of Weasley's robes. Chest hair normally wasn't his thing, but then again, Weasleys weren't normally his thing either. "I was never here," he said shortly.

There was a flicker of confusion in Weasley's eyes for a second before he nodded. "You were never here," he agreed.

* * *

Snape was startled to see Ron Weasley sitting in his doorway of his Hogsmeade house a few days later. By all accounts, it looked like Weasley had been waiting there for quite a while. He seemed to have made himself comfortable on the doorstep and was prodding the ground with a stick. "Weasley!"

To Snape's surprise, Weasley looked up and grinned. "Aren't you going to be polite and let me in?"

"No," Snape said shortly. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Weasley told him.

"I can see that. Otherwise, you would be waiting on somebody else's doorstep and you'd currently be annoying them," Snape snapped. "Why are you waiting for me?"

Weasley gave him a cheery smile. "About that time we never met in the Forbidden Forest, I think I've figured out why you were following me. I came to confirm."

"I see," Snape said flatly.

"Well, I thought we could go inside," Weasley said. "Unless you'd rather have that conversation outside." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Snape's brow furrowed. No, he decided. He really didn't want to have the conversation outside. Looking over at Weasley, Snape noticed that there was a surprisingly eager expression on his face. He obviously couldn't have hit upon the correct reason then, Snape decided. There was no harm in letting him in. "I see the years haven't taught you manners, Weasley."

"No more than they've taught you manners," Weasley said cheerfully.

Snape bit back a retort as he stepped into his house and watched as Weasley traipsed in after him. He was somewhat relieved to see Weasley wiping his shoes on his doormat. He didn't particularly want mud tracked all throughout his rooms. Who knew where else Weasley went? Those trips into the Forbidden Forest were probably daily trips.

Without invitation, Weasley plonked himself down on Snape's couch. "You never asked me why I was in the forest anyway."

That was true, Snape realised as he sat down as well. He had got distracted and wanted to get out of there. "I didn't feel that you were a threat to my students," he pointed out. "After all, War Hero Ron Weasley is hardly likely to be a rogue Death Eater."

Weasley shrugged. "You never know," he said. "I learned that the hard way. I could have been another Pettigrew."

"Unlikely," Snape said. As much as he disliked Weasley, he wasn't a coward like Pettigrew.

Weasley shrugged. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that I had a good reason for being in there." His cheeks flushed. "The potion I order requires some specialised ingredients and they can only be found in the forest. I needed to get them for the company."

"I don't need your explanations," Snape told him.

"No, you're not big on explanations, are you?" Weasley said, sounding amused. "I know why you were following me, you know."

"Oh?" Snape arched an eyebrow. He could feel his heart pounding. Surely Weasley couldn't have figured it out? He wasn't smart enough. "Why was I following you then?"

"You were attracted to me," Weasley said smugly. He hesitated. "Well, not me, but when I was a woman."

Snape pursed his lips. So, Weasley wasn't as stupid as he thought. "Congratulations," he spat. "You've figured it out." He was just glad that Weasley hadn't realised that he was still attracted to him.

Weasley's eyes narrowed. "There's something else too, isn't there?"

"This isn't a trial," Snape snapped. "Get out of my house." This was too uncomfortable for his liking. There was something too perspicacious about Weasley. Sooner or later, he'd hit on the real reason and Snape didn't think he could stand having Weasley pity him. He was far too old for somebody like Weasley, and even if he wasn't, nobody would want Severus Snape.

"But I quite like it here." Weasley leaned back and surveyed the room. "Actually... I do like it." He sounded surprised. "It's nothing like what I thought."

"The dungeons were getting damp," Snape drawled.

"They can be damp," Weasley said seriously.

Snape rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Weasley continued. "I'm kind of flattered that you liked me." He looked like he had been thinking about this for a while.

"I don't like _you_," Snape said flatly.

Weasley gave him a surprisingly sharp look. "I think you do," he said. "Otherwise you would have thrown me out of your house a long time ago."

Snape closed his eyes. That was probably true. He should have thrown Weasley out of his house as soon as he saw him on the doorstep. It wasn't too late to do that now. Snape opened his eyes. "Get out!" he ordered.

Weasley stood up. Snape was almost about to let out a long breath of relief, but Weasley simply sat down next to him. Snape inhaled sharply. "You know what," Weasley said softly. His breath smelled faintly of pumpkin juice. "I've been thinking about this and I realised something. I'm kinda attracted to you too."

Snape gulped.

"Are you going to say anything?" Weasley murmured.

Normally, Snape never found himself at a loss for words, but the nasty retort he had seemed to stick in the back of his throat. All he had to do was mock Weasley and this entire affair would be over. All he had to do was tell Weasley that he was being ridiculous. All he had to do was laugh in Weasley's face.

Weasley sighed. "I'll be waiting forever if I want you to do something, won't I?"

Snape didn't say anything.

"Let me show you."

Snape was startled to find himself with a lapful of Weasley. There was something too cheerful and freckly about Ron Weasley, yet as Weasley kissed him enthusiastically, Snape found his doubts melting away. Weasley wriggled slightly as he made himself comfortable. Snape inhaled sharply as he felt himself harden.

Weasley pulled back and grinned. "I guess I know your answer."

Snape licked his lips and could taste pumpkin juice. "You may be right," he acknowledged.

Weasley reached down and ran his thumb over Snape's cock, which was straining against the fabric of his robes. "I know I'm right," he said smugly.

Snape raised an eyebrow. "Impertinent, aren't you?"

Weasley's only answer was to kiss him again.


End file.
